1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network controller, method, and medium, and more particularly to a network controller that facilitates expanding functions of a communications protocol.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, there has been a growing trend to provide new added value by linking devices in a network. Accordingly, adding network functions and improving connectivity have become necessary. To cope with this kind of expansion, a technology that reduces development costs and facilitates adding functions by providing an API that modularizes communications protocol processing independent of application is well known.
A technology of creating protocol- and device-independent applications and contents and converting the contents into content data supported by any protocol and device using a resource description framework (RDF) has been proposed (e.g., JP-2004-506977-A.) Also, a technology of shared modularization of processes and its configuration in order to facilitate developing and adding applications that provide Web services has been proposed (e.g., JP-2004-005503-A.)
However, the technologies described in JP-2004-506977-A and JP-2004-005503-A entail substantial development resources to add and expand functions of a communications protocol. In addition, in case of running development independently for each communications protocol and diverting from existing resources such as OSS, there are many redundant processes across the whole of a communications protocol, and that leads to generate waste of resources such as ROM and RAM. This issue is especially prominent where there are limited usable resources for embedded systems.
Furthermore, the many modifications such as bug fixing required due to so many redundant processes complicate maintenance. Also, with so many ambiguous boundaries between communications protocol and application layer, in a case in which a plurality of applications exist there is a waste of development resources caused by containing a part of communication process in the applications.